Psalms 106:21
They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;
Psalms 106:21 (KJV)
Context
Psalm 106 is a song of thanksgiving and repentance. It reviews Israel’s long history of rebellion and God’s constant faithfulness. In this verse, the psalmist points to a specific failure: the people forgot God their Savior. This forgetting was not a small mistake. It was an active turning away from the Lord, who had rescued them from slavery in Egypt.
The surrounding verses show how serious this sin was. The people forgot God’s mighty works and soon worshiped a golden calf, saying, “these are thy gods, O Israel.” Their forgetfulness led to more rebellion, including despising the pleasant land and refusing to believe God’s promise. The psalmist uses this history to warn every generation about the danger of forgetting God’s goodness.
Meaning
The word “forgat” means more than a lapse of memory. It describes a deliberate neglect of God Himself, not just His deeds. The people had seen His power in the ten plagues, the Passover, and the parting of the Red Sea. Yet they allowed those wonders to fade from their hearts. To forget God is to lose gratitude, trust, and reverence for Him.
The title “Saviour” is central. God had acted as their Deliverer, rescuing them from bondage and destroying the Egyptian army. The “great things in Egypt” include the miracles that forced Pharaoh to let Israel go. These acts showed God’s sovereignty and His faithfulness to His covenant promises. Remembering them builds faith; forgetting them opens the door to unbelief.
Biblical connections
The next verse, Psalm 106:22, calls these acts “wondrous works” and “terrible things” by the Red Sea. This connection shows that the psalmist had the Exodus events clearly in mind. In verses 23-24, God’s anger burned against Israel, and only Moses’ intercession turned it away. This pattern repeats throughout Israel’s history: God saves, the people forget, and judgment follows. The New Testament echoes this warning in 1 Corinthians 10:1-12, where Paul urges believers not to repeat Israel’s failures in the wilderness.
Application
We can apply this verse by guarding our hearts against spiritual forgetfulness. Three practices help us remember God’s faithfulness:
Regularly give thanks for specific ways God has delivered and provided for you.
Read and study Scripture, pray, and meet with other believers to keep God’s works fresh in your mind.
Let past deliverance inspire present trust and obedience, knowing the same God still works today.
When we forget God’s past grace, we become vulnerable to doubt and disobedience. But when we remember, our faith is strengthened for current trials.
Reflection
This verse invites us to examine our own hearts. Do we truly remember God as our Savior, or have we let His works grow dim in our memory? The remedy is not mere mental effort. It is a deliberate habit of recalling His mighty acts and responding with worship. As we remember, we join the psalmist in declaring God’s faithfulness and turning from the sin of forgetfulness.
